Is It Really a Logical Problem?

This is something that I have done a lot. I find myself wrestling with an issue. The mind keeps going over and over it. The mind just won’t let go. It obsesses. And so we spiral around and around.

Sometimes it happens when I’m driving. Sometimes when I’m walking. Sometimes when I’m meditation. Sometimes when I’m trying to fall asleep — OR just after I’ve woken and am avoiding getting up.

It could be about money. Or work. Or a relationship. Or something I said. Or something I did.

If I take a moment to step away from the surface issue, I often find that there is an emotional challenge below it. That there is a sense of worry or anger or shame.

I ask “Why do I feel ____?” and dig a little deeper to uncover the uncomfortable splinter at the root of it. For me this often leads to deeper stuff. Worries of being disliked, related to a fear of abandonment. Worries about my worth, related to a fear of being unlovable. Pretty deep shit.

Even if you never go that deep or if the issue isn’t tied to a core issue (though I would challenge that – even indirectly our worries are related to our core hurts); just going a little deeper helps get us into territory where we can begin to address what is really going on. It also strengthens the truth muscle – allowing us to be more and more truthful with ourselves and others.

It’s as if the mind is running on something that it can’t solve logically. Just spinning wheels. As long as it spins, it means that the deeper (often more uncomfortable) issue isn’t confronted. Ultimately the mind is trying to protect us from that uncomfortableness.

Facing that uncomfortable truth helps it all dissipate, though. Sometimes immediately. Sometimes after a bit of time. Either way, it’s one less splinter causing us pain.

So – whatever your mind is spinning on right now… Is it REALLY a logical problem; or is it an emotional problem? Why?